The Amazon Kindle Fire tablet may not look like much of a business device. But some technology experts are speculating that it could become quite popular in this user segment.

When the Amazon Kindle first came out, it was a simple e-reader device, designed to let people read eBooks that they've purchased from the Amazon Kindle Store, a type of virtual book store, or downloaded from other sites on the internet, like free erotic books in PDF format. However, user demand for more features and better multimedia capabilities have led to a complete redesign of the device and it is now sold more as a tablet PC rather than just another e-reader.

While some may have had their apprehensions about the device and feared that it would be a dud, according to all recent sales numbers the Kindle Fire is actually competing very strongly. In fact, it is the second most sold tablet PC in the United States after the Apple iPad. Other brands of tablets like Samsung are actually quite far behind the Kindle Fire.

Even though it wasn't marketed as a business device, the Kindle Fire is not just for reading romance books and watching funny videos online. Many companies are starting to gain an interest in it for various reasons. Here are some of them:

-- Developers are interested in it. Android developers have actually been quite drawn to this device and are now working on building apps for it. According to data from Appcelerator, 49% of Android developers have expressed a very strong interest in building Kindle Fire compatible apps.

-- IT professionals like Android devices. According to a survey sponsored by IBM of 4 000 IT professionals from all around the globe, around 70% have stated that they plan to deploy applications for Android devices, 49% for the iOS, 35% for Windows 7 and just 25% for the BlackBerry OS.

-- Support for business apps is already here. One of the main applications used by businesses is the Microsoft Exchange email. There are many apps that are compatible with the Kindle Fire, such as the Touch Down e-mail client apps that can do this. Also, the web browser makes accessing web based email very easy.

More minimalist design. Sometimes, less is more, especially in business related hardware. Even though the Kindle Fire may not be too powerful with just 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of included storage, this is more than enough for most business users. It also doesn't have 3G cellular connectivity, which reduces the security risks as well as potential for high roaming data charges. Since the device is not too powerful, users are more likely to focus on their work, rather than wasting time by playing the latest games or streaming video on their tablet.